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Glite Dictionary
to stink like a mackerel

to stink like a mackerel

9.9
Have a very strong smell like old fish or seem clearly suspicious
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : oler a pescado
  • By the end of the day, my shoes stink like a mackerel.

Examples

  • The deal stinks like a mackerel—there's something not right about it.

  • The garbage stinks like a mackerel in the summer heat.

  • These old towels have been left too long and now they stink like a mackerel.

  • This fish stank like a mackerel after being left out.

  • The deal stinks like a mackerel—there's something not right about it.

  • By the end of the day, my shoes stink like a mackerel.

  • The garbage stinks like a mackerel in the summer heat.

Synonyms

to smell
vsto stink like a mackerel
862 1.0

To give off a scent that is pleasant or bad

is narrower, focusing on very strong offensive odor or clear suspicion
to stink
vsto stink like a mackerel
165 1.0

To have a very bad smell

also covers situations that clearly suggest dishonesty or suspicion
to reek of
vsto stink like a mackerel
48 6.3

Have a very strong unpleasant smell or seem full of a bad quality

is broader, adding obvious untrustworthiness beyond a physical odor
to reek
vsto stink like a mackerel
33 5.9

Give off a strong unpleasant smell like smoke

can also mean a strong odor or a clear sign of dishonesty
to stink to high heaven
vsto stink like a mackerel
  • Informal
5 8.1

Have a very strong bad smell or seem very wrong

is similar but often adds plain evidence of wrongdoing or objection
to smell fishy
vsto stink like a mackerel
  • Informal
2 6.8

To seem suspicious or dishonest

adds the idea of a strong physical odor as well as suspicion
to smell like a tart's handbag
vsto stink like a mackerel
  • NSFW
9.9

To have a strong, unpleasant scent of old heavy perfume and dampness

is more general, applying to many very strong bad odors or suspicion

How Smelly

to stink to high heaven
  • Informal
5 8.1
to stink like a mackerel
  • Informal
9.9
to stink
165 1.0
to smell
862 1.0

Surface Forms

stink like a mackerel infinitive
stinking like a mackerel present participle
stinks like a mackerel third person singular
stank like a mackerel past
stunk like a mackerel past participle

Morphology

stink + like + a + mackerel

The meaning is directly built from the constituents: 'stink' (to give off a bad smell) + 'like' (similar to) + 'mackerel' (a fish known for a strong odor), so a learner who knows the words can infer it refers to a very strong, fishy smell. The secondary, figurative sense of being suspicious or 'smelling fishy' is a transparent metaphorical extension of the literal smell, so it remains predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Stink like a mackerel comes from the very strong smell of the fish called a mackerel when it is left too long and goes bad. That's why saying stink or stink like a mackerel means something is 'very smelly' or that a situation 'seems suspicious', because the bad smell makes the problem obvious.